Jetstar will start charging passengers up to $52 to put a carry-on bag in the overhead locker, starting in February 2027. The airline announced the change on 5 August 2026. It also removes the old 7kg weight limit for carry-on bags.

Here is how it works. Every ticket includes one small bag that fits under the seat in front of you, like a backpack or handbag. If you want to bring a second, bigger bag to put in the overhead bin above your seat, you have to pay extra. Jetstar calls this the 'Priority Carry-on' add-on. It also lets you board the plane early. The price depends on where you fly: $25 for Launceston to Sydney, $33 for Sydney to Melbourne, and up to $52 for Cairns to Tokyo. You can also buy extra weight for your bag when you book, with prices varying by route, such as $32 for Melbourne to Sydney (News.com.au).

The size limits for bags stay the same. An underseat bag can be up to 40x30x20cm. An overhead bag can be up to 56x36x23cm. Checked bags — the ones you hand over at the counter — are unchanged and can be bought for up to 40kg per person.

Jetstar's CEO, Stephanie Tully, said the airline will stop weighing carry-on bags at the gate to make things less frustrating for passengers and staff. Jetstar will no longer routinely use scales at the boarding door, though it will still ask people to keep carry-on bags under 10kg so they can lift them safely. The airline said research and customer feedback showed that gate weighing and crowded overhead lockers were among the most stressful parts of flying (The Guardian).

The change has a clear timeline. Flights before 02 February 2027 use the old rules, which allowed a 7kg or 14kg limit across two items (Jetstar Carry-on Baggage Update). Before this update, a standard Starter fare included 7kg shared between two bags: one for the overhead bin and one small item under the seat (Jetstar Baggage).

There is one exception. If you are traveling with an infant, you can bring an extra underseat bag for baby items at no extra cost.

The broader context here is about how budget airlines make money. Low-cost carriers like Jetstar keep ticket prices low by charging separately for things that used to be included, such as food, seat choice, and now overhead bin space. Think of it like buying a basic phone plan: the base price is cheap, but each extra feature costs more. By charging for overhead locker access, Jetstar turns something that was once free into a paid product. Getting rid of gate weighing also means staff spend less time checking bags, which speeds up boarding. Whether passengers feel the smoother boarding is worth paying for something that used to be free depends on how they respond to the new fees.

The official announcement, titled 'Jetstar to update its carry-on baggage model,' is on the Jetstar newsroom (Jetstar Newsroom).